Fighting Ebola: Gov’t calls on Ghana Army for help

The Field Engineers Regiment of the Ghana Armed Forces is to be involved in the nation’s preparation to contain the deadly Ebola virus, should a case be reported in the country.

The Regiment, otherwise known as 48 Engineers, is to be deployed to augment ongoing work at sites designated as treatment centres for the disease that is ravaging several West African nations- Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Nigeria.

About 1,069 people are known to have been killed by the hemorrhagic fever disease out of the 1975 cases, according to the World Health Organisation’s report on Wednesday, August 13, 2014.

Government on Thursday placed a three-month embargo on all international conferences scheduled to be hosted in Ghana.

Addressing the media Thursday, August 14, 2014 Communications Minister, Dr. Edward Omane Boamah works on three emergency treatment centres across the country- Accra, Kumasi and Tamale- are progressing steadily.

On Wednesday, President John Dramani Mahama met with the inter-ministerial team coordinating Ghana’s response to the Ebola Viral Disease to review and evaluate interventions instituted so far, he noted.

“We also ask the ministry of defense to deploy the field engineers of the Ghana Armed Forces also to augment the efforts that are being put in place to ensure that we complete the facility in Kumasi in particular as a treatment centre,” the Minister said.

Travel warningMeanwhile, Government has warned citizens not to travel to Ebola affected countries “unless it is absolutely necessary”.

Minister for Foreign Affairs, Hannah Tetteh told journalists at the Meet the Press series today: “Even then we would encourage you not to travel. Especially given the accelerated presence of the Ebola disease”.

She said the caution against visiting hardest hit countries such as Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea has become necessary “because ultimately it is movement between various states and coming into contact with people who have been affected by the virus which create greater opportunities for transmission of the virus”.

“Now that we have given this travel advisory, in the event that you [citizens] do travel to those countries and you are caught up in some difficulty, please know that if the government of Ghana is not immediately in a position to respond we have given you fair warning that this is something that we believe you should desist from doing”, the Foreign Minister reiterated at the media briefing. Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | Jerry Tsatro Mordy | [email protected]